Having bursted onto the Retro-Pop scene just a little too late behind the likes of Duffy and Amy Winehouse in 2010, Rumer’s intimate first single ‘Slow’ took a less-than-deserved 16th place in the charts and sank from there – but one thing held fast: her soulful voice and ’60s inspired arrangements carried an enormous amount of authenticity and garnered critical success. Fast forward to 2016 and she’s back with an all-covers album of ’60s titan Burt Bacharach’s works, including well known hits that have stood the test of time – ‘The Look of Love’ and ‘Walk On By’ to name but two.

It may seem unfair to compare Rumer with her predecessors (especially when Bacharach himself has publicly shown the love for her luxurious voice) but when walking in the shadow of masters such as Dusty Springfield and Dionne Warwick, it’s almost impossible not to throw a little shade, and the result isn’t favourable. The first thing to note on this record is that every track has been slowed down from the original – it seems ‘Slow’ isn’t just a song to her, but a way of life; this leaves some of the catchier originals like ‘Are You There (With Another Girl)’ lacking any punch whatsoever, inhabiting the realm “pleasant” a little too comfortably.

Other, slower tracks like ‘The Look Of Love’ (originally masterfully and sensually delivered by Dusty) see Rumer seemingly going through the motions, lacking the sultry intuition the “queen of blue-eyed soul” originally poured into every note – this feels like agreeable bath-with-candles music, not one of the most important love songs ever penned by a tenured genius of popular music. ‘One Less Bell To Answer’ gets the closest to feeling genuine from the whole selection – it swells nicely like a Bacharach classic and shows off the wider range of Rumer’s vocal capability, although just like many on the record, her perfectly articulated lyrics start to annoy the ear, and it becomes clear that this is because pronouncing her “T’s” is the edgiest Rumer gets.

It’s certainly true that Bacharach’s songwriting still shines through every choice on this 12-track tribute record; what’s unfortunate for the silk-toned songstress is that if his work is a feast of musicality, hers feels like a 12 course meal, where every course brought out is the exact same dish.

This Girl’s In Love is out now via East West Records.

Dominic Kirkbride
@SaulMusicUK